Pupil Premium

Pupil premium is additional funding received by schools for each pupil from disadvantaged families or background. It’s allocated to schools based on the number of children who come from low-income families – this is defined as those who are currently known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM). This is one of the current government’s key education policies. It’s based on findings that show that, as a group, children who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in time have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible.

It also includes; pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years; pupils who are adopted; children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months; and children where a parent serves in the armed forces.

This money is for schools to decide how to use but should be spent in order to improve educational attainment of children from less privileged backgrounds. The pupil premium has the potential to have a great impact on the attainment, and future life chances, of pupils.